With a sharp knife, score the fat of the duck into a cross-hatch pattern

Sprinkle the five-spice powder onto the skin of the duck breasts and rub it into the fat well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan. Don’t add oil. Place the duck breasts skin-side down in the hot pan. Season the other side with five-spice powder and salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until most of the fat has run out into the pan and the skin has a golden colour (about three minutes).

Turn the duck breasts over and cook the other side for a minute or so.

Place the duck breasts in the oven for 3-5 minutes to finish.

To make the sauce, warm the honey and soy sauce together in a small pan. Bring up to boiling point and let it bubble for a minute or two to reduce. Take off the heat and allow to cool. The sauce should have a syrup-like consistency.

Remove the cooked duck breasts from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place.

Slice the duck breasts into strips. Drizzle over the honey and soy sauce, and serve

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Trim off the excess fat and skin from the duck and prick the skin all over with a fork. Season the duck inside and out with salt and pepper; secure the legs with cooking string.

Place the duck on a rack in a large roasting tin. Cover tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 1½ hours.

With a vegetable peeler, remove the orange rind in wide strips then slice into thinner strips. Squeeze the juice from the oranges.

In a small heavy-based saucepan mix the vinegar and orange juice and stir to dissolve. Boil over a high heat, without stirring, until the mixture is rich caramel colour. Remove from the heat and carefully add the orange juice, pouring it down the side of the pan. Swirl the pan to blend, bring back to the boil and add the orange rind and liquor. Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes.

Remove the duck from the oven and pour off all the fat. Raise the oven temperature to 200?C/400?F/Gas 6. Return the duck to the oven and continue to roast, uncovered for 25-30 minutes, basting frequently with the sauce, until the duck is brown and juice runs clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife or skewer.

Pour the juices from the duck cavity into the tin and transfer the bird to a carving board. Cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Pour the roasting juices into the saucepan with the remaining caramel mixture, skim off the fat and simmer gently. Serve the duck garnished with watercress and orange slices, and accompanied by the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
For the whole roasted duck, use a small sharp knife to pierce the skin of the duck all over, but be careful not to tear holes in the skin. Season the duck with salt and black pepper and place on a wire rack sat in a roasting tin. Roast for 25 minutes.<a

Remove the duck from the oven and pour any excess fat from the roasting tin into a jug. Reduce the oven temperature to 120C/250F/Gas ½.
When the oven reaches 120C/250F/Gas ½, return the duck to the oven and cook for a further 1¼ hours – basting with the reserved fat every 20 minutes. Once cooked allow the duck to rest for 30 minutes.
For the duck fat potatoes, heat a large frying pan and add the duck fat. Once hot and melted, add the diced potatoes and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until golden-brown and tender.
For the bordelaise sauce, heat a medium saucepan and add the butter. Once hot, add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns and cook for a few minutes.
Add the red wine and cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by half. Pour in the warm veal jus and reduce by half again. Season with a little sugar, to taste. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.

To serve, remove the duck breasts from the roasted duck and cut into pieces. Divide the meat between serving plates.

On the stove, heat a small roasting pan (I use one like a slightly oversized tarte tatin pan) and sear the duck legs, skin-side down over medium heat until the skin turns golden and gives out some oil.

Turn the legs over, and take the pan off the heat while you cut the potatoes into 1-inch slices across, then cut each slice into 4. Arrange these potato pieces around the duck legs, then let a few sprigs of thyme fall over the duck and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper, before putting into the preheated oven.

Cook for two hours, occasionally turning the potatoes, for optimal outcome, which is tender duck legs and crispy potatoes, though both will be ready to eat after 1 1/2 hours.

This is so ridiculously easy! I wouldn’t go for 2 hours as I think the duck will be too dry. I bought two duck legs from Waitrose and simply followed the instructions which is to cook it for 2 hours at 180 degrees. I added the tomatoes for the final five minutes just to make it a balanced meal

Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts, then generously season with the peppercorns and a sprinkling of salt. Lay the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a non-stick sauté pan, then place over a low heat. Leave the duck for 15 mins to brown and release its fat, then flip over onto the flesh side for 5 mins.
Remove the duck from the pan, then turn up the heat. Add the potatoes to the pan, fry until brown and crisp, then scatter over the parsley and garlic. Scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, then season with salt.
Keep the pan on the heat. Fry the bacon until crisp, then add the cabbage. Cook for 1 min, add a splash of water, then fry for 2 mins, just until the cabbage is wilted. While the cabbage is cooking, whisk any juices from the duck with the vinegar and olive oil. To serve, carve the duck breast into slices. Fan out on large dinner plates, spoon a neat bundle of cabbage on one side, then pile a serving of potatoes on the other. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

So the recipe was for duck breast but being the Scrooge that I am, I saw that Waitrose was selling 2 duck legs for 4 pounds as opposed to 2 duck breasts for 8 pounds. Economics won out in the end.

THAT SAID, I am regretting it as I think duck breast is better for pan frying. Duck legs are fine albeit a bit tough but I think it has to be duck breast…

Place the duck neck, chicken wings and wine in a pan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes until the wine has reduced by half.

Add the onion, carrot, tomato bouquet garni and 2 cups water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Strain and set aside about 1 cup of the stock.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the duck in a large pan, cover with boiling water, then drain. Dry with paper towels. Using a fine skewer, prick all over the outside of the duck, piercing the skin, not the flesh. Place the duck breast-side-down in a baking dish and roast for 50 minutes.

Drain off any fat, turn the duck over and add the stock (pour the stock over the duck). Roast for 40 minutes or until the breast is golden brown. Pour off and reserve the stock.

Remove the duck from the pan and leave in a warm place. Carve and serve.

This recipe is easy enough though it does take some time to go through it. Adding the stock to the duck helps to keep the duck flesh moist and tender. The French style of roasting duck is much simpler than the Chinese style of roasting it, but it still tastes really good especially the crispy skin (and of course the layer of fat underneath). It tastes more of the natural flavours of the duck rather than the spices that are used in Chinese roasting.

I am supposed to make this with an orange sauce but I couldn’t find any Cointreau and I am still hesitant about adding oranges to duck. I know it’s a very famous French dish i.e. Orange Duck but still I am just not convinced by the combination. Instead I opted for a red wine sauce, the duck stock, red wine and corn flour to thicken it.